Ratchet-wrench.



H. G. LAWSON.

RATGHET WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.14,1914.

1,119 292. Patented Dec. 1,1914.

FIG. 3

WITNESSES 6%.Mv- H. C. LAWSON 3 y AITOR/VEY INVENTOI? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY C. LAWSON, F MOGBEGOR, TEXAS.

BATCHET-WBENCH.

1,119,292. Specification of Letters latont.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914. Application filed February 14, 1914. Serial No. 818,685.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY C. Lawson, a citizen of the United States, residing at McGregor, in the county ofMcLennan and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchet- Wrenehes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful ratchet wrench.

The object of my invention is to provide a wrench equipped with a pawl and ratchet mechanism, which will make it possible to communicate a step-by-step rotation of constant direction either right hand or left hand to a nut engaged by the wrench by oscillating the wrench handle through an an le that may be comparatively acute.

The object of my invention more specifically stated is to provide a wrench having mounted in its head a ratchet wheel slotted to engage a nut, and having mounted in its handle an elongated spring pressed rod adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet wheel to restrict its rotation to a certain direction.

An especially novel feature of the invention lies in the use of a pawl adjustable in such a manner that it may serve to limit the correlated ratchet wheel to rotation in either direction, or may be employed to lock the ratchet wheel against any rotation independent of the wrench proper, or which may be entirely disengaged from the ratchet wheel leaving the latter free to rotate in either direction.

A still further object of the invention is to rovide a device of the character descri ed that will be strong, durable, efiicient and simple and comparatively inexpensive to produce, also one in which the several parts will not be likely to get out of work- 1n order.

ith the above and other objects in view, the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction and operation, an example of which is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a top view of my wrench, a portion of the head thereof being broken away to reveal underlying construction. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, the section being taken upon the line m-a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, the section being taken upon the line l -31 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the actmg extremity of the pawl.

Referring now more particularly to the.

drawing, wherein like reference characters designate similar parts in all the fi res, the numeral 1 denotes a tubular meta member formm the handle of my wrench, said handle havmg integrally formed upon one of its extremities a head comprised of two arcuate concentr1c arms 2 having their extremities spaced. Between the two arms 2, there is rotatabl mounted a ratchet wheel 3, in which t ere is formed a large slot 4, having its walls parallel and equidistant from the center of said wheel, said slot being intended to engage an nut which it is desired to turn by means 0 my wrench. Into the slot 4, there may be fitted a member 5, having one of its faces arcuate and formed with ratchet teeth which when said member is pro erly adjusted will form a continuation o? the series of ratchet teeth carried by the wheel 3. When the member 5 is so adjusted, its face which is oppositely disposed to the toothed face will be spaced from the center of the ratchet wheel equidistantly with the sides of the slot 4, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The ratchet wheel 3 is formed upon each of its faces with annular grooves 6, spaced slightly from the periphery of said wheel, said grooves being continued across the member 5 (see Fig. 1). The head of the wrench is formed with an annular tongue 7, bordering upon the central aperture of said head, said tongue being fitted into one of the slots 6 of the ratchet wheel, the toothed outer portion of the ratchet wheel (and of the member 5) being of reduced width as shown in Fig. 2, to permit the peripheral portion of one of the lateral faces of the wheel to be engaged by a corresponding portion of the hea The other face of the ratchet wheel is engaged adjacent to its periphery by a plate 8, secured to the head by a plurality of screws 9, and formed with an annular tongue 10 which engages in the other groove 5 of the ratchet wheel. The tongue and groove engagement established between the parts 6, 7 and 10 serves to guide the ratchet wheel in any rotation which it may undergo in the head of the wrench. The plate 8 is centrally a ertured to receive a hub portion of the rate et wheel, and a slot communicating with said central aperture extends to the edgev of the plate, the edges ofsaid slot being flush with the end faces of the arms 2. When the member 5 is inserted in the slot 4, the two members 3 and 5 will rotate as a unit. Said members may be held in the relation illustrated in Fig. 1 merely by frictional engagement or by any other desired means.

A description will now be given the novel awl which is centrally mounted in the iiandle 1 to cooperate with the ratchet wheel. This pawl is formed by an elongated rod 11, extending the entire length of the handle, and having its extremity adjacent to the ratchet wheel beveled in one direction as indicated 12. The rod 11 has a sliding fit in that half of the handle, nearest adjacent to the head. The other half of the handle is formed with an elongated cavity 13, through the center of which the rod 11 passes. Within the cavity 13 there is mounted fast upon the rod 11 a collar 14, which is spaced toward the head of the wrench from a collar 15 also mounted in the cavity 13 and rigidly connected with the handle. Between the collars 14 and 15 a spring 16 is coiled upon the rod 11, which exerts a pressure upon the collar 14 tending to maintain the end 12 of the rod 11 engaged between the teeth of the ratchet wheel 3. At the free end of the handle 1, there is mounted fast upon the adjacent extremity of the rod 11 a head comprising parts 17 and 18, the part 17 having a sliding fit within the cavity 13, and the portion 18 being of a larger diameter than the cavity 13 and exterior to said cavity. Upon the portion 17 of said head there is formed a key 19, which is adapted to engage in any one of three key ways formed in the end of the cavity 13. Two of said keyways, which are diametrically opposite are designated by the numeral 20, and the third key way which is ninety degrees removed from either key-way 20 is designated by the numeral 21. When the key 19 is received by one of the key-ways 20, the beveled face 12 will be exposed oppositely to the position which it occupies when said key is in the other key-way 20, the transverse edges of said beveled face being parallel to the teeth of the ratchet wheel in either of said positions of the keys. Consequently in one of said positions, the handle 1 may serve as a lever to rotate the ratchet Wheel in one direction, and in the other position of the rod 11, the handle will be adapted to produce an opposite? rotation of the ratchet wheel. Rotation of the ratchet wheel will be produced by subjecting the handle 1 to an oscillating motion, the beveled face 12 causing the pawl constituted by the rod 11 to slip over the teeth of the ratchet wheel upon the return stroke of the handle. When the pawl is so adjusted, that the key 19 engages in the keyway 21, the transverse edges of the beveled face 12 will be transverse of the teeth of the ratchet wheel and will engage between said teeth. Under these conditions, a rigid relation will be established between the ratchet wheel 3 and the head of the wrench, so that the wrench may then be used like an ordinary wrench lacking the ratchet feature.

In adjusting the pawl of my wrench to withdraw the key 19 from one of the keyways 20 and 21 and place it in another, the operator will grasp the milled portion 18 of the head carried by the pawl and will withdraw the pawl slightly from the handle, overcoming the pressure of the spring 16 in so doing. If it be desired to completely disengage the pawl from the ratchet wheel and to maintain it thus disengaged, the pawl may be rotated in a position such that the key 19 will not enter any of the key-ways but will rest upon the adjacent end of the handle, as for example in the position indicated in dash line at 22 in Fig. 3.

By formin a seat for one side of the ratchet wheel in the head of the wrench, and providing a seat for the other side of said wheel in the plate 8, it is made a very simple matter to assemble the wrench. A wrench of this type is found to be very advantageous in places where it is impossible to give the handle of the wrench a turn except through a small angle.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as properly come within the scope of the following claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A wrench comprising a rigidly connected head and handle, a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted in the head and formed with an aperture for gripping a nut, a rod centrally and slidably mounted in the wrench handle having its extremity adjacent to the teeth beveled in one direction and adapted to engage between the teeth of the ratchet wheel, a spring acting upon said rod tending to maintain its beveled extremity engaged with the ratchet teeth, a head fast upon said rod and slidably inserted in the free end of the handle, and a key formed upon said head engageable in any one of three key-Ways formed in the handle, two of said key-ways being diametrically opposite, and the third being ninety degrees removed from the other two, the transverse edges of the beveled face of said rod being parallel to the ratchet teeth when said key is in either of the opposite key-ways, and being transverse of the ratchet teeth when the key is in the other key-way.

2. A ratchet wrench comprising a rigidly connected head 'and tubular handle, the central aperture formed in that half of the handle farthest removed from the head being of increased diameter, a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted in the head, and engaged with the head by annular tongue and groove connections, said ratchet wheel being formed with an aperture suitable for engaging a nut, an elongated rod centrally mounted in the handle, and formed with a beveled extremity adjacent to the ratchet wheel, said extremity being engageable between the ratchet wheel teeth, a spring acting upon said rod within the enlarged aperture of the wrench, pressing the same toward the ratchet wheel, a head rigidly carried by said rod and slidably inserted in the free end of the handle, a key carried by said head, adapted to engage with any one of three keyways formed in the end of the handle, two of the said key-ways being diametricall opposite, and the third being substantial y ninety degrees removed from the other two.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 20 two subscribing witnesses,

HARRY C. LAWSON.

Witnesses:

J. C. ELLSWORTH, W. P. LATHROP. 

